Apparatus for laundering



Dec. l5, 1936. E.' J. wlLso'N ET AL APPARATUS Foa LAUNDERING Original Filed April 18 Patented Dec. 15, 11936 UNITED STATES Ezekiel J. Wilson, East Greenbush, and John McCreary, Cohoes, N. Y.

Renewed May 14, 1936 Application Aprilia, 1931, serial No. 531,206

8 Claims. (Cl. 68-37) Fig. 3 shows a modification;

Fig. 4 shows a detail. Our invention relates'to a method and machine for continuous washing or laundering. They may also be used for dyeing, drying and other analogous operations.

for washing simultaneously articles of different shapes, kinds and colors, in a ilat or spread-out.

condition and, besides washing or cleaning them, the same machine inv one continuous operation will rinse them, sour them, extract the water and bleach them while still on the same carrier belt."

The invention is in the nature of an improvement on the method and apparatus appearing in the patent of Ezekiel J. Wilson, No. 1,568,259, granted January 5, 1926. only shown as adapted for the washing of a single article, 13o-wit, the continuous felt of la paper-making machine, but it discloses the fundamental method of washing by directing the water or cleansing fluid through a traveling article from one side of said article to the other, which method is also followed in our present invention.

In laundering work of the type which our present invention is designed lto perform, the, practice heretofore has been to divide the mass of articles comprised in the miscellaneous lot into several distinct groups, each group being washed separately while the individual articles are crumpled together in a separate wad or or agitated in hot water, although such rubbing or agitation is normal and safe with cotton goods, and so on. Moreover, each of the several groups is ordinarily washed by itself in a washer of the cylinder type which has ribs on its inside and is rotated for a few turnsin one direction the'n reversed and given an equal number of uturns in the opposite direction. 'Ihis work occupies from Primarily they are intended for general laundering and are designed In that patent the device is' an hour to an hour and twenty minutes, and,r because of friction, requires careful handling, particularly with articles that are worn or delicate and with Woolens and fugitive colors. Each group is subjected to three or more soapy baths 5 and, at least, an equal number of rinsings. With Woolens and colors the machine is stopped about half the time. The stopping periods are shorter with other goods which can be kept rotating in the machine while the water is' being dumped 10 out and replaced. After the first rinsing, white fabrics usually require bleaching. 'I'he bleaching chemical has heretofore been putinto the `water containing the goods and acts to oxidize the dirt or dark stains therein. Several rinsings are then 15 required to remove the bleaching agent. For

' colored goods, and also' for. other fabrics, it has been necessary, in order to absolutely neutralize the alkali in the soap, to introduce into the bath containing the articles, an, acid solution called 20 a sour and several rin'singsare needed to .remove the sour. Next in the prior-art process the mass of articles is pulled out of the cylinder and dumped on a truck which takes them to the "extractor which, by some form of centrifugal 25 action, removes most of the water. In this operation the clothes themselves act as a filter for the dirty water and the dirt is largely left-deposited on them. The clothes also become packed so tightly in the extractor that it isdiicultto 30 remove them and yet such packing is required before starting, in order to prevent the tearingv or pulling apart of the garments by the cen-. trifugal force. In consequence, deep-'wrinkles are formed inthe clothes which are diiiicult to re- 35 move and they also become knotted and entangled. In some cases the clothes are packed in separate bundles or nets which are often con- 1 tained in separate pockets in the machine but no bundle is washed individually and the germs or dirt from each bundle is spread Athroughout all the other bundles in the machine. As a practical matter the washing is usually performedat wire mesh, or 'other material, on which the clothes are individually spread out ilat. They maintain that relative positionin which they are rst placed through the entire series of operai- 55 tions from washing to extracting. While in that fixed position with respect to the carrier belt the water is applied to them on one side and removed from them on the other side. Thereby each garment is, in effect, washed individually without chance of contamination from any other garment. All kinds and colors can be treated simultaneously, lying side by side on the same carrier belt. If a color is washed out of some garment that color is removed immediately and can not come in contact with any other garment to stain it, while woolens, since they remain in a definite position onthe belt, will not shrink. The water may be delivered on them directly from a faucet and will therefore have no opportunity to become chilled below its temperature of 212 degrees. Its temperature and amount are also easily controllable for each garment. Each individual garment is held fiat on the carrier belt without wrinkles and can not become knotted in itself or entangled with another garment. This also effects a large saving in bleaching and souring materials, since the amount used is proportioned to individual garments. In our treatment the clothes are not dumped into a body of water with a mass of other clothes therein, but water is sprayed or showered on the several garments individually to an amount adjusted to each. While the articles are still on the belt they may be also dried. It is also possible to discharge the goods directly from-the carrier belt to the ironer, after the water extraction, without crumpling or handling them except, perhaps, to direct them to the correct place on theironer.

Referring to the drawing, A represents a continuous carrier belt, preferably of wire mesh, having openings of a correct size or number. While fine-meshedbelts produce more perfect laundering, they may present too great a retardation of the water fiow through them. Therefore the mesh is usually of an intermediate size. B represents a similar but longer carrier belt that runs in contact with belt A over a portion of the course,- to-wit-through the squeeze-rolls al, a. a:i and the guide rolls b1 and b2. however, be in contact for a longer portion of the course, if desired. The clothes to be washed are laid out fiat on the ,lower carrier belt B preferably at a point over the drive-roll c1 and then are immediately gripped between the two belts and drawn forward as shown in Fig. 2. 'I'he clothes thus maintain their relative positions on the belts till they pass the squeeze-rolls z3-a and thereafter will adhere, by suction, to the lower belt in their same relationuntil they pass the second drive-roll c2 and are delivered on to the ironer, C.

From the rolls aL-a1 the carrier belts first transport the fabrics to the tank D1 wherein they pass the guide-roll b1 and pass'out to the squeeze-rolls i2-a. As they pass the roll b1 they are subjected to a flow of soapy water or detergent directed on them from the .under side in the space between the partition walls d-d. This water may be/applied either as a heavy spray or as a stream, constituting in either case a flow of water directed against one side of the fabrics and through them into the space outside of the said partitions d-d where it is drawn of! from the bottom of the tank by the pipes Ilz-k. It will be observed that the partitions d-d provide an open-topped subchamber over which the belts passin such manner as to act as a cover therefor. Any suitable pump E may be employed to forcibly apply the water and subsequently withdraw it from the main The carrier belts may.'

chamber D after passing through` the belts. On u its wayl from pump E to the tank the water may pass through a heater'P, as shown at the right of Fig. 1. If desired, the water may be applied, as shown in Fig. 3, from nozzles w-w located above the carrier belts and directed downward through the fabrics into the bottom of the tank. This first treatment of the fabrics is the cleansing one, beingmade with soapy water, which acts to dislodge and remove the dirt. After emerging from tank D1 the belts carry the washed articles consecutively through the squeeze-rolls (z2-a? which remove from them such dirt as may not have been removed by the flow of the soapy water through them. It may be observed that, whereas the prior methods relied on the agitation of the fabrics by the rotating ribs in the cylinder, the fabrics being at the time submerged in a body of soapy water contained in the cylinder, we rely on a water-flow directed through the outspread garments on the carrier belts. By this means we have quite as effective a cleansing means and, in addition, remove the water and the dirt which the water has washed out of the garments. Thus the garments are not swashed around in a mass of dirty water, with the dirt particles passing repeated into them and liable to be redeposited on them, while the garments act like filter cloths to gather such dirt particles from the water. On the contrary, only y, clean water is applied to the goods and the dirt particles are carried away instead of being repeatedly applied to them, and by them filtered out of the water. This principle, however, does not mean that, if required, the same washing water after being cleaned, if desired, by filtering and also reheated, may not be repeatedly passed through the fabrics to completely dislodge the dirt, but it may become only a iiow of entirely fresh water at each passage of water through the fabrics. Next the outspread fabrics on the carrier belts are transported to a second tank D2 where, just as in tank D1, water is again flowed upon and through the fabrics and again carried away, said tank D2 also having a sub-chamber similar to that of tank D1. This water is, however, not soapy washing water, but a clean rinsing water. Its function is to remove any soap and dirty water that may have been absorbed in the washing process. Then the carrier belts pass between the squeeze-rolls cl3-a3, which remove from the fabrics the bulk of the rinsing water. Here also it is possible to apply repeatedly a flow of fresh clean water to dilute any remnant of washing water, which is the essential lpurpose of the rinsing operation. If desired, the carrier belts may be passed through one or more additional tanks simllar to tanks D1 and D2. By this time the still wet fabrics will adhere to and may be carried by the lower belt B alone and the upper belt A may, at this point, turn back to rejoin belt B at the rolls (i1-a1.. 1

From the foregoing it will be understood that the belt B is considerably longer than the belt A and that they are held in contact with each other at'positions adjacent one endrof the apparatus. 'I'he contacting portions are caused to travel in ,undulations so as to be dipped into the tanks Dl and D2, the smaller belt being so disposed that at the points of separation of the belts the upper belt is provided with inclined portions upwardly disposed with respect to the plane of the top portion of the belt B. The arrangements also is such thc); the belt B has two horizontal stretches, one being longer than the other,

the short stretch extending from the drive roll 75 C1 to the squeeze-rollers A1, and the other or` longer stretch extending from the rollers A3 to the driveroll C. The garments may be stripped from the returning carrier belt A by any suitable means, such as an air blast from a nozzle F1. The fabrics are then carried to and passed over the perforated surface of a suction box G1 above which isa nozzle G2 that delivers a souringsolutionn such of the fabrics as may require it. 'Thereby only such an amount of souring' agent is used as may be needed and only such articles as require it may be soured. This is in contrast to the prior method of putting a large amount thereof, without discrimination, into a large body of water in a washing machine or tank. The suction on box G1 vis maintained by a pump H. The suction box pulls thesolution through the goods and permitsits recirculation. I may also employ a surface suction-device M, Fig. 4, to draw from the water in D1 or D2any layer of soap or dirt that may float on top of the water. The goods are then transported over a similar suction box I1 above which is a nozzle I2 that sprays clean water on them to remove therefrom the excess souring or acid solution. A third suction box J1, with a nozzle J2, above it, applies a size or starch to such fabrics as may require it, which then pass under a bleacher L, having an additional suction box K1 and are finally delivered to an ironer, or to a drying machine C.

In the foregoing series of operations the rate of progress of the carrier belts will remain uniformand the time of one individual operation will be adjusted by extending or shortening the length of the action of any individual apparatus in order to continue the operation for any desired length of time under the given rate of belt-progress.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A laundering apparatus comprising a foraminous carrier belt, a second shorter foraminous belt, means for imparting independent travelling movement to the respective belts,lmeans for maintaining a portion of the shorter belt in contact with a coextensive portion of the carrier belt in such manner that the contacting portions travel together a predetermined distance, said travel imparting means being so arranged as to cause the contacting portions to travel in a common direction so that the'articlesto be laundered may be interposed between said contacting portions and caused to travel therewith in a flattened, spreadout condition, a laundering tank having an internal open-topped sub-chamber therein, means forca-using the contacting portions of the belt to travel through said tank and over the top of said sub-chamber, means associated with said subchamber vfor forcing washing fluid through the contacting portions of the belt and .the articles carried thereby during their travel through the tank and over said sub-chamber, and means for causing feeding and delivery portions of the carrier beltto travel in horizontal rectilinear courses the contacting portions of the belt and the articles carried therebyduring their travel through the' tanks and over the respective sub-chambers, and means for `causing feeding and delivery portions of the carrier belt to travel in horizontal rectilinear courses at locations outside of the 'sphere of operation of the shorter belt.

3. A laundering apparatus comprising a foraminous carrier belt, a second shorter foraminous belt, means for imparting independent travelling movement to the5 respective belts, means for maintaining a portion ofthe shorter belt in contact with a coextensive portion of the carrier belt in such manner that the contacting portions travel together a predetermined distance, said travel imparting means being so arranged as to cause the contacting portions to travel in a common direction so that the articles to be laundered may be interposed between said contacting portions and caused to travel therewith in a flattened, spread-out condition, a laundering tank having an internal open-topped sub-chamber therein, a rinsing tank and also -having an internal opentopped sub-chamber therein, 'means 'for causing the contacting portions of the belt to travel an undulatory course, means for successively forcing washing and rinsing fluids through -the articles while travelling through the tanks and over the respective sub-chambers in said undulatory course, and means for causing feeding and 'de tainingf a portion of the shorter belt in contact with a coextensive portion of the carrier belt in such manner that the contacting portions travel together a predetermined distance, said travel imparting means being so arranged as to cause the contacting portions to travel in a common direction so that the articles to be laundered may be interposed between said contacting portions and caused to travel therewith in a flattened, spread-out condition, a laundering tank, a rinsing tank, means for causing the contacting portions of the belt to successively travel through the laundering and rinsing tanks, means associated with said tanks for forcing washing uid and rinsing-fluid respectively through the contacting portions of the belt and the articles carried thereby during their' travel through the tanks, and means for causing feeding and delivery portions of the carrier belt to travel inV horizontal rectilinear courses at locations beyond the sphere of operation of the shorter belt, one or more suction boxes positioned beneath the delivery portion of the carrier belt, and independent means above each suction box for forcing a liquid garment-treating agent through selected articles Y as they pass said supply means and in such manner as not to affect any adjacent successively following article.

5. A laundering apparatus comprising a foraminous carrier belt,asecondshorter foraminous belt, means for imparting independent travelling movement to the respective belts, means `for maintaining a portion of the shorter belt in contact withY a coextens'ive' portion of the carrier belt in such manner that the contacting portions travel together avpredetermined distance, said travel imparting means being so arranged as to cause -the contacting portions to travel in a common direction so that the articles to be laundered may be interposed between said contacting portions and caused to travel therewith in a flattened, spread-out condition, a laundering tank,

a rinsing tank, means for causing the contacting portionsof the belt to successively travel through the laundering and rinsing tank, means associated with said tanks for forcing washing uid and rinsing iiuid respectively through the contacting portions of the belt and the articles carried thereby during their travel through the tanks, means for causing feeding and delivery portions of the carrier belt to travel in horizontal rectilinear courses at locations beyond the sphere of operation of the shorter belt, a plurality of suction boxes positioned in alinement beneath the delivery portion of the carrier belt, a bleacher located over the carrier belt and directly above one of said suction boxes, and independent means above the belt and over each of the other suction boxes for forcing a liquid garmenttreating agent through selected articles as they 'pass said respective supply means, and in such manner as not to aifect any adjacent successively following article.

6. .A laundering apparatus comprising an endless foraminous belt, drive rolls supporting said belt, a laundering tank near one of said drive rolls, a second shorter belt, drive rolls supporting the second belt above the rst belt, means for maintaining the lower portion of the shorter belt in contact with a cto-extensive length of the upper portion of the longer belt, so that the articles to be washed will be transported with and between the contacting belts, said last mentioned means being so constructed and arranged as to cause the contacting belts to travel an undulatory course and to pass through said tank, means associated with` said tank for forcing washing iluid through the contacting portions of saidbelts and the articles carried thereby during travel of the belts through the tank, means for causing said belts to separate at the end of the undulatory course, means for causing a substantial portion ot the longer belt to travel in a rectilinear horizontal course from the point of separation of said belts to the other drive roll for said longer belt, whereby the laundered articles may be subjected to finishing treatments while carried by the horizontally travelling portion of the larger belt.

7. A laundering apparatus comprising an endless foraminous belt, drive rolls supporting said belt, a second shorter belt supported above the rst belt, said shorter belt having its lowrr portion engaging a corresponding co-extensive portion of the lower belt at a position between the drive rolls so that articles to be washed will be transported with and between the contacting belts,- means for causing washing uid to be forced through the contacting portions of the belts and the articles ce.- ried thereby during travel of the belts, said shorter belt being so constructed and arranged as to provide an upwardly travelling portion leading from the lower belt so as to separate the same, and'means adjacent said upwardly travelling portion for disengaging laundered articles which may adhere thereto after separation of the belts. v l

8. A laundering apparatus comprising an endless foraminous belt, drive rolls supporting said belt, a second shorter belt supported above the rst belt, said shorter belt having its lower portion engaging a corresponding co-extensive portion of the lower belt at a position between the drive rolls so that articles to be washed will be transported with and between the contacting belts, means for causing washing fluid to be forced through the contacting `portions of the belts and the articles carried thereby during travel of the belts, said shorter belt being so constructed and of the article, said means being so constructed and arranged that the individual agents are applied in such manner that other articles adjacent the particular one' being treated are not aiected Vby such treatment.

EZEKIEL J. WILSON'. JOHN MCCREARY. 

